A jolly intro to Tamil Nadu

S Balakrishnan *

Central Rly. Station - Gateway of TN

'Vanakkam'! In Tamil language it means 'Greetings!/Respects!/Namasthe!' Good that you have learnt your first and an important Tamil word that Modiji uses to entice / trick Tamil people. This greeting phrase can be used anytime of the day or night.

Tamil Nadu is both modern and traditional. The day begins with a cup of steaming 'kaapi' (coffee), not instant variety but filter coffee. Some people go to the extent of frying & grinding the coffee beans afresh at home every morning to prepare the aromatic decoction.

The breakfast could be idli or dosai with chutney & idli powder, and gingili oil; the spicy idli powder was nicknamed by the British as 'gun powder'! The hotels invariably offer crispy vadai without your asking. There are umpteen varieties of idli and dosai as well as chutney! This is followed by another cup of hot 'kaapi'.

These two cups of kaapi and the evening cup are mandatory; in between one takes as many doses as preferred. The normal lunch is a combo of rice with sambhar, rasam, curd and vegetable side dishes (I speak for vegetarians). Traditionally the food is served on banana leaf which is good for both health and environment.

As for traditional dress, Tamil men wear 'veshti/vetti' (as 'dhoti' is called here) and shirt; in olden days, 'jippa' (kurta) was worn. Women wear the sari with the pallu draped over the left shoulder; no covering of the head and face, never.

As if to catch up with modern times, the vetti now comes with a side pocket for the mobile phone without which one can't live even for a moment. Velcro-stitched vetti has been introduced which is in demand as it helps to dress and undress in a jiffy.

Modernity & Tradition go together

What is Tamil Nadu without Kollywood, the Tamil filmdom! After all, TN has seen two Chief Ministers from the Kollywood – M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, his heroine in movies and heiress in politics. So mad are the fans that a temple was built for another heroine, Kushbu; even a variety of idli was named as Kushbu idli!

Fans of two leading heroes have been violently clashing since ages – P.U. Chinnappa vs. MKT Bagavathar, then MGR vs. Sivaji, followed by Rajani vs. Kamal, and now Vijay (nicknamed Thalapathy/Commander) vs. Ajith (nicknamed Thala). Such an addiction! Chennai Super Kings cricketer M.S. Dhoni is also fondly called here as 'Thala' (Chief/Head).

The word addiction reminds me of the liquor business in the State which is fully run by the State Government under the brand name 'TASMAC'! So much so that many welfare schemes/freebies are funded from TASMAC source without which the government itself would falter like a drunkard. This drinking culture has spoiled two successive generations; from birth to death, each and every occasion demands a ('thanni') liquor party!

Please note that a Tamil person is different from the generic grouping of Madrasi, because the Madras Presidency of British times included all the four Southern States (Madras, the present Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh which is now bifurcated as A.P. and Telengana, and the present U.T. of Puducherry which was a French territory; so now there are five States in South and one U.T.).

For that matter even the name of Madras city has been reverted to its original Chennai. All these States speak different languages – Tamil in TN and Puducherry, Telugu in A.P. and Telengana, Malayalam in Kerala, and Kannada in Karnataka. Though these languages differ, they are interlinked as they have strong basic connection with Tamil which dates back to 3rd B.C., more than 2500 years ago.

Archaeological excavations that go on in several places now keep proving the age-old Tamil civilization. There are several dialects in the State that people from other parts may initially find it queer, though the script is uniform. Oh, well, Tamil Nadu is Tamils' Land/Country.

Lord Natarajar -ultimate in metal art

Bharatha naatiyam is Tamil Nadu's classical dance, and Lord Shiva as the eternal dancer 'Natarajar' beautifully symbolizes this dance form. Nadaswaram, the classical wind musical instrument, along with the percussion instrument thavil/melam, is a must in all functions and ceremonies, both at home and in temples.

The State flower is Glorosa lily, State animal is Nilgiri tahr (goat); Emerald dove is the State bird, palmyra palm tree is the State tree, jackfruit is the State fruit, while Tamil yeoman butterfly is the State butterfly.

While tourism in general is a big income grosser, medical tourism is also gaining importance in T.N. The long beaches of the State draw tourists.

The Temples boast of a hoary Dravidian architecture with traditional daily rituals, ceremonies & festivals that are a sight to behold; notable are the temple car (rath) and float festivals. Handicrafts, especially metal icons, display the long tradition of arts & crafts, not to speak of the silk saris and jewels that charm the womenfolk eternally.

Well, as they say, hospitality of Tamil Nadu is best experienced in person. By the by, 'Nandri' (Thanks) for going through this write-up. Now you have learnt the second important Tamil word 'Nandri' for use during your Tamil Nadu trip, which is best during the pleasant winter months of Dec., Jan., and February.

Again, Vanakkam & Nandri!